Closure fastener



April 25, 1933. I w, B. TRUEMAN CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Aug. 21, 19 50 5Sheets-Sheet 1 5 5 WaLZ'enB.

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CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Aug. 21, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2 1933- w.B. TRUEMAN CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Aug. 21, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Apr. 25, 1933 PATENT oFFIcE WALTER B. TRUEM'AN, 0F MATTOON,ILLINOIS CLOSURE FASTENER Application filed August 21, 1930. Serial No.476,928.

This invention aims to provide novel means whereby the horizontallyswinging doors of a garage or other structure may be held closed by adouble latch, novel meansbeing supplied whereby the doors may be openedor closed either from within' or from without.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally, and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains v With the above and other objects in View, whichwill appear as. the description pro ceeds, the invention resides in thecombination and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be madewithin the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows in elevation, a building equipped with the device formingthe subject matter of this application;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section, the doors being closed;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of a building wherein thedevice forming the subject matter of this application has been embodied,the doors being shown in rear elevation, and being closed;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section, the doors being opened;

Figure 5 is a vertical section, the doors bein closed;

igure 6 is a plan showing one of the latch members, the keeper appearingin section;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section illustrating the operation of certainparts, as the doors are being closed;

Figure 8 is a front elevation of a part of the structure delineated inFigure 7.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a building. It isto be understood that the building 1 is to be regarded as typical of anystructure to which the de vice forming the subject matter of thisapplication may be applied. The numeral 2 marks a first door and thenumeral 3 marks a second door, the doors 2 and 3 being hinged at 4 tothe building 1, to swing horizontally. On the outer surface of the firstdoor 2 there is a horizontal keeper 5 adapted to engage behind an offsetlatch arm 6 on a shaft 7 (Figure 5) mounted to rock in the second door3.

An arm 8 (Figure 3) is secured to the'inner end of the shaft 7. Upwardmovement of the arm 8 is limited by a stop 9 on the door 3. A flexibleconnection 10 is joined to the arm 8 and to avertically movable latchmember 11 mounted to slide in a housing 12 on the door 3, adjacent tothe upper edge of the door, the latch member 11' being advanced by aspring 14 (Figure 5) to cause the upper end of the latch member toengage in a seat 15 formed in the building 1 at the top of the doorway.The spring 14 serves to hold the arm 8 (Figure 3) against the stop 9,and serves to' hold the arm in the vertical position of Figure 1.

An inwardly extended horizontal bracket 16 (Figures 2 and'4) is securedto the inner side of the door 3. On the endof the bracket 16 there is acasing 17 in which there is a latch member '18, the latch member beingadvanced by a spring (not shown) but operating like the spring 14 ofFigure 5.

A flexible operating member 19 is connected to the latch member 18 andis extended downwardly through an anti-friction thimble 20 on thebracket 16. The latch member 18 is adapted to co-operate with aninverted L-shaped keeper 21 secured to a link 22 pivoted at one end, asshown at 23, on the door 2, and pivoted at its opposite end, asindicated at 24 in Figure 5, to the bracket 16. In practical operation,when the doors 2 and 3 are closed,'the keeper 5 on the door 2 is engagedbehind the latch arm 6, as shown in Figure 1, and the latch member 11 onthe door 3 is engaged in the seat 15, as shown in Figure 5. The doors 2and 3 are doubly latched in closed position. 7

Assuming that it is desired to openthe doors 2 and 3 from the outside,the operator takes hold of the latch arm 6 and swings it in thedirection of the arrow A in Figure 1, the arm 6 thus being freed fromthe keeper 5. When the latch arm 6 is swung in the direction of thearrow A, rotation is imparted to the shaft 7 (Figure 5). The arm 8 onthe shaft 7 (Figure 3) is swung down wardly away from the stop 9, andthe flexible element 10 is pulled upon, the latch member 11 beingdisengaged from the seat 15, and the spring 14 being put underincreasedcompression. The doors 2 and 3 now may be swung into open position, asshown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

\Vhen the doors 2 and 3, are swung into open position, the bracket 16and the link 22 move into alinement, the latch member 18 engagingautomatically with the keeper 21, to hold the bracket 16 and the link22, against relativev swinging movement with respect to each other.Thus, the doors 2 and 3 are braced in an open position.

When it is desired to close the doors 2 and 3 from the positionof Figure4 to the position of Figure 2, the flexible operating member 19 ispulled upon, thereby withdrawing the latch member 18 (Figure 6) fromengagement with the keeper 21. The link '22 and the bracket 16 nowswing, with respect to each other, on the pivotal connection 24, thelink 22 swinging at 23 with respect to thedoor 2, and the bracket 16moving inwardly along with the door 3, to which the bracket 16 isrigidly attached.

Asthe operator swings the doors 2 and 3 toward closed position, as shownin Figures 7 and 8, the end of the keeper 5 on the door 2 engages theside'of the latch arm 6 and tilts the latch arm 6 to the right in Figure8 that is, in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1. The keeper 5ultimately engages behind the arm 6 when the doors 2 and 3 have fullyclosed. So long as the end of the keeper 5 is engaged with'the latch arm6, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the flexible element 10 is undertension, and the latch member 11 is held retracted against A the actionof the spring 14. Because the latch member 11 is retracted, the latchmember will be permited to move under the seat 15 (Figure 5) as thedoors 2 and 3 close. As soon as the doors 2 and 3 are fully closed,

the latch arm 6 swings in a direction opposite to that indicated by thearrow A in Figure 1 and overlies the end of the keeper 5. In otherwords, the arm 6 is released and is made responsive to the spring 14,the spring forcing the latch member 11 up into the seat 15, the flexiblemember 10 and the arm 8 rotating the shaft 7 and causing the arm 6 toswing in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow A in Figure1, so that the arm overlaps the keeper 5. The device is simple inconstruction but will be thoroughly effective for the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, first and second doors mountedfor swinging movement, a latch member on the second door, a shaftmounted to rock on the second door, an arm on the shaft, a connection between the arm and the latch member, a latch arm on the shaft, a keeperon the first door and held by the latch arm when the doors are closed,and spring means for moving the latch member to latched position, andfor moving the latch arm into holding relation with respect to thekeeepr when the doors are closed, the keeper being of such length as toengage the edge of the latch arm to hold the latch member retracted,against the action of the. spring means, as the doors move toward closedposition.

2. In a device of the class described, first and second doors mountedfor swinging movement, a latch member on the second door, a shaftmounted to rock on the second door, means for connecting the shaftoperatively with the latch member, a latch arm on the shaft, a keeperonthe first door and held by the latch arm when the doors are closed,and spring means for moving the latch member to latched position, andfor moving the latch arm into holding relation with respect to thekeeper when the doors are closed, the keeper beingof such length as toengage the edge of the latch arm to hold the latch retracted, againstthe action of the spring means, as the doors move toward closedposition. r

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature.

WALTER B. TRUEMAN.

